Israeli Strikes Kill 6, Including 2 Children And Al Jazeera Cameraman
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (AP) — Israeli attacks on Gaza on Saturday killed at least six people, including two children and a cameraman for broadcaster Al Jazeera, according to Palestinian health officials.
Despite the October ceasefire Between Israel and the militant group HamasAccording to the Gaza Ministry of Health, there are Israeli attacks in this region almost every day, causing the death of more than 1,000 Palestinians.
The first strike on Saturday hit a Gaza apartment at around 2 a.m., according to the ministry. An Associated Press reporter saw debris and blood-stained concrete in the area.
The bodies of two sisters, 4-year-old Zina and 14-year-old Lana, were sent to the Şifa Hospital morgue, where they lay in white hospital bags with their family members.
Their cousin, Mohammed Safadi, who was injured in his forehead, said, “I was sitting at home. The rocket fell on us without any warning.” He said his wife was also injured.
“This ceasefire that the occupation and the negotiating team are talking about… is this really a ceasefire? We are civilians. I have never held a weapon in my hand,” Safadi said.
The Israeli army said it was investigating the incident.
Four people were killed and at least a dozen others were injured in three Israeli attacks on Saturday evening.
In the first attack, a house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza was hit without warning, killing three people, including Al Jazeera cameraman Ahmed Wishah, according to Al Aqsa hospital. Al Jazeera confirmed Wishah’s death.
Wishah’s brother Mohammed, an Al Jazeera correspondent, was killed in an Israeli attack in April.
Another attack on Saturday targeted a group of people in a large tent camp in Muwasi in southern Gaza, killing one person and wounding eight others, according to the Nasser hospital where the injured were taken.
The third attack in Gaza City targeted a group of people and injured at least four people, according to Shifa hospital.
The Israeli army said in a statement that it killed the Al Jazeera cameraman with a “precise shot”. He claimed that he was part of Hamas’ military wing and posed a threat to troops in the region.
Israel says it is targeting Hamas and other militants who pose a threat. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. The Gaza Health Ministry said 73,018 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza, including those killed since the ceasefire.
The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, is staffed by medical experts and keeps detailed records that are generally considered reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. No distinction is made between civilians and militants, but it is stated that approximately half of the deaths were women and children.
